OUR CORRESPONDENT, Cumilla

Police yesterday arrested a man in connection with the murder of Comilla University student Sumaiya Afrin and her mother, Tahmina Begum.

The suspect, Mobarak Hossain, 29, a khadem (caretaker) of a local madrasa in Kaliarjuri, was identified from CCTV footage, according to Cumilla District Police.

Superintendent of Police Mohammad Nazir Ahmed Khan said Mobarak frequently visited the family, performing “spiritual healing”. On the day of the incident, he stayed at their home for nearly two hours.

At one stage, when Tahmina went into another room, Mobarak attempted to rape Sumaiya. As her mother witnessed the attempt, Mobarak suffocated her with a pillow and killed her. He then strangled Sumaiya, police said.

After the killings, he stole four mobile phones, a laptop, and chargers, fleeing with them in a bag.

Police arrested him from the Durgapur area on the outskirts of Cumilla while he was attempting to escape by train. All the stolen items were recovered from his possession.

“The suspect has confessed to the murders. The case will be properly investigated based on the postmortem report and his confession,” SP Nazir Ahmed told journalists at a briefing yesterday afternoon.